[ARCHIVED] Google and Parent Observer accounts

[sembry]

I have a couple of questions I hope to get some clarity on concerning Google and the parent observer accounts. The first question is do parent observer accounts take on the same permissions as the student they are observing? I know we can set the permissions for observer on the Canvas admin side but specifically concerning Google Docs what do these permissions look like. Second question, if a parent tries to view a Google Doc assignment in Canvas and it asks them to authorize, should they be able to see the document (shared only with members within the organization) by authorizing a personal gmail account? In Google admin console the setting for accounts outside the domain are turned off. So really they are the same question just trying to understand how Google and Canvas are communicating.

[KristinL]

Hi @sembry  -  We don't use Google authentication to create Observer accounts, so I'll do my best to help. I hope that I understand the question accureately. If I miss what you're asking, please clarify! 🙂

With the Observer account, the user can see a lot of what the student does, but it's not everything. With most submissions, the Observer can see the file or content. However, when students submit or have access to a Google Doc/Slides/Spreadsheet, the permission set in Google "follows" the item into Canvas. So, unless an item is shared with the Observer, they won't have access. They'll land on the screen that prompts them to ask for permission to access the private item.

I hope this helsp!